


0-8-4s in Hawkins

by TheSoggySchuyler4



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Additional Warnings Apply, F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kid Fic, Kid Skye | Daisy Johnson, Maveth - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:27:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24652309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSoggySchuyler4/pseuds/TheSoggySchuyler4
Summary: Daisy escapes from Afterlife and is rescued by Fitz, Mack, Yo-yo and Robbie, who are searching for Jemma, trapped in the upside down. Melinda finds herself investigating the disappearance of her best friend Bobbi, alongside her occasional fling, Grant Ward, and Jemma's brother, Phil.
Relationships: Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie/Yo Yo Rodriguez, Melinda May/Grant Ward, Phil Coulson/Melinda May, Robbie Reyes/Skye | Daisy Johnson
Comments: 15
Kudos: 49





	1. Chapter One: The Girl in the Woods

She had known it would be dark outside, but it was so _so_ dark. The trees scratched at her skin and it was raining. She might have liked the feeling of the water running down her face if it wasn’t so cold. She stumbled over another tree trunk, pushing forwards. Mama would realise she was gone soon. She needed to move quickly. There were people yelling, she realised belatedly, though not for her. It took a while for her to make out a name, but there was a distinct rush of relief. They were calling for a little girl named Jemma, not her. She was okay. The water was getting in her eyes and it was difficult to see. She tripped, toppling forwards. A warm mass caught her.

“Hey, are you okay?”

She blinked. The mass was a boy, probably around her age. He was flanked by two other boys, and a girl clutching a yoyo. All four were dripping wet, but they wore coats. That was more than she could say for herself. She slowly nodded. The boy seemed to realise that he was still holding onto her and released his grip.

“Sorry, um. We’re looking for our friend, Jemma? Have you seen her?”

She hadn’t. At least, she didn’t think she had. Maybe Raina had seen her, but then, Raina was dead. She shook her head firmly, trying to shake the image of Raina’s glassy eyes from her mind. Raina had been right. Mama was bad, and Papa was probably bad too. She had really wanted Papa to be good.

“M-Mack,” One of the other boys hissed, his words tripping over themselves, “Leave, leave her. Sh-she doesn’t know where Jem is.”

The boy- Mack- chewed his lip, before glancing over at their female companion. She shrugged lightly.

“Maybe she’s lost too. We should help.”

She waited, silently preparing herself to start running. If they told anyone about her, she would be gone.

“Hey,” Mack spoke up, “We have food and shelter if you need it. You can come with us. We just want to help.”

She looked at them steadily. Mack was the biggest, physically, but he had kind eyes, like Lincoln’s. She knew instinctively that he wouldn’t hurt her. The other boy- the one that had spoken- seemed shy, but trustworthy, and the girl had been the first to offer help. She lingered on the final boy. He had dark hair and dark eyes that flashed with something dangerous. When he caught her looking, he looked away. She blinked. He was pretty. Looking back at Mack, she nodded.

* * *

Robbie knew it was a bad idea to bring her here. Fitz’s house was the closest, sure, but his parents were just upstairs, and his sister Melinda was supposedly in her room. Fitz insisted that she’d probably snuck out to meet her latest hook-up, and okay, gross, but Robbie was still worried. They could get into a lot of trouble if they were caught with the girl.

She looked around their age, or maybe a little younger. She hadn’t said a word to any of them or given any indication that she actually could. It was disconcerting. She just sort of sat there and stared.

“Okay so um, my name is Mack. Well actually, it’s Alfonzo Mackenzie, but people call me Mack. I mean, my friends do. Uh, I mean, yeah.”

Elena snorted.

“You’re taking too long again, Turtleman.” She snarked, smiling sweetly at the girl, “I’m Elena.”

The girl’s eyes flickered to Elena.

“Yo-yo.” She whispered softly. Robbie stared, even as Elena grinned.

“That’s my nickname, yeah. How’d you know?”

The girl pointed and Robbie had to hide his laughter. Of all the days for Elena to have brought an actual yo-yo with her. Elena huffed out a laugh, tossing her hair back and winking at the girl.

“Mack calls me that because I zip around him on my skateboard, and it drives him nuts.”

Fitz seemed to decide that this was a good point to intervene. He leaned forwards, balancing his elbows on his knees, and stabbed at his chest with a finger.

“F-Fitz.”

“Leopold Fitz,” Mack elaborated, “He prefers Fitz though.”

Robbie’s friends all gave him a pointed look and he groaned.

“I’m Robbie. This is a stupid idea.”

The girl watched him keenly.

“Do you have a name?” Mack asked, his voice oddly gentle. The girl blinked over at him, before shrugging. Mack sighed, seeming to interpret the shrug as an ‘I don’t know’ but Robbie squinted. He recognised that look- the one that read ‘I don’t want to tell you’. He used that shrug all the time.

“We don’t have to call you by your real name. We’ll just give you a nickname.” He spoke up. Fitz gave him an odd look.

The girl seemed to consider his offer, before she nodded again, this time looking significantly happier. She got up and wandered around the room, her gaze finally settling on a poster of a girl doing Tai Chi in front of a large blue sky. Melinda had stuck it up a few years ago, in an attempt to turn Fitz’s engineering space into a workout room. It had failed, but the poster remained. She tapped the sky a couple of times, before smiling cheerfully back at them. Elena looked confused.

“The sky? What’s that got to do with anything?”

Robbie elbowed her and she shut up.

“You want to be called Skye? That’s your nickname?”

The girl tilted her head to one side, considering. Finally, she nodded.

“Well then Skye,” Mack told her, “Welcome to our group. We like to call ourselves ‘SHIELD’.”

“We do not-”

“Mack, we’ve never-”

“W-what, Mack-”

“Guys! Shut up!”

* * *

_The world had turned grey and she picked at her skin, willing red to prick up. There were odd vines everywhere, and if the world hadn’t been so wrong and grey, and if Fitz had been there, she’d have been fascinated. They looked nothing like the plants she’d studied endlessly, drawing in her sketchbooks until her pencils snapped. Her head hurt, and Jemma shook it slightly, willing the fuzziness to fade. There had been a man, she recalled, and he’d been reaching towards her and she’d tripped. She’d woken up here, with the world turned to grey, and no Fitz._

_Maybe it was some kind of reverse Wizard of Oz situation. She tapped her heels together experimentally, but nothing happened. Well that was useless._

_Jemma began to move. This place looked like a greyer, creepier version of the woods near her house, so if she just-_

_Yes. There was her hide out, with her brand-new glow in the dark stars. But the stars were just grey and cold now, like everything else. Jemma blinked back tears. She was all alone, and she was frightened. She wanted Fitz. Or her brother. Phil would know what to do in this situation. He’d have some corny Captain America slogan at hand to cheer her up and motivate her in the right direction. Jemma wracked her brain for a suitable quote, but she came up empty. Peggy Carter had always been her favourite anyway, much to Phil’s irritation._

_Jemma tucked herself into the corner of her den and squeezed her eyes shut. Maybe if she just wished hard enough, everything would be alright._


	2. Chapter Two: The Events of Grant's Party

Grant Ward was one of those people who had somehow become popular because his parents were in good standing and had quickly learnt to manipulate his advantageous situation. As Melinda lounged beside Bobbi Morse on the edge of Grant’s pool, it was abundantly clear that he was little more than a bully. Melinda was almost tempted to go over and rescue Grant’s younger brother Thomas, but she resisted. The kid could look out for himself.

“I can’t believe you slept with him.” Bobbi commented, flicking her blonde hair. Melinda wrinkled her nose.

“I was bored, and he was available. Don’t read into it, Bob.”

It was certainly true that they had only been invited because Melinda had slept with him, but Melinda chose to ignore that. She had only come because Bobbi had a crush on Grant’s friend, Lance Hunter, anyway. She enjoyed a good subtle stakeout of cute boys, even if Hunter was nowhere near her type. Bobbi tilted her head to one side.

“Do you know if Phil’s little sister showed up yet?”

Melinda stiffened.

“I don’t talk to Phil anymore. How should I know?”

Bobbi shifted to look at her, finally taking her eyes off of Hunter’s water-soaked chest.

“I know,” Her tone was apologetic, and Melinda hated it, “But Leo is good friends with her. I thought he might have heard.”

Melinda changed the subject.

“You know his little friends are all calling him Fitz now? It’s cute.”

Bobbi gave her a pointed look, but she took the bait.

“What are they supposed to call you then? Big Fitz?”

Melinda scoffed. She was fairly sure that if any of Leo’s friends called her ‘Big Fitz’ she would be perfectly within her rights to punch them.

“Leo still calls me Mellie, but the others have taken to calling me ‘May’. Y’know, like my middle name.”

Bobbi grinned.

“They’re adorable. Hey, are they still calling themselves ‘The Party’?”

Melinda relaxed a little and shook her head.

“Phil suggested they call themselves ‘SHIELD’. It stands for some dumb acronym that makes literally no sense in the context. I think it’s a Captain America thi…” She trailed off, realising who she was talking about _again_. Bobbi gave her a knowing look.

“You could just talk to him, you know?”

Melinda rolled a shoulder and looked away.

“What’s the point? He didn’t like Andrew, so we stopped hanging out. It’s not a big deal. I don’t even care anymore.”

“That what you’re calling you sobbing into my shoulder over a pint of melted ice cream these days?” Bobbi snarked. She looked irritated and Melinda instantly felt bad.

“It’s been years. He’s got tons of friends now.” She mumbled.

Bobbi elbowed her.

“None of those friends are _you_. Besides, Andrew moved away, so you don’t even have that issue to deal with anymore.”

“I know. It’s just…” Melinda trailed off and shook her head. She had tried to rationalise both points of view for years, but it never led anywhere useful, and she just found herself stuck in a rut of confusion and misery again. She didn’t want to deal with that right now. Bobbi huffed, glancing up again.

“The party’s winding down. Maybe we should head home?”

Melinda snorted.

“Hunter left?”

“Yeah, Hunter left.”

* * *

“I think I left my bag at the party.” Melinda groaned. They had been walking for a good while, but Bobbi was fairly sure her car was just up ahead. Still, she paused, glancing over at her friend.

“Want me to come with?”

Melinda considered, before shaking her head. Bobbi relaxed a little, unwilling to admit how relieved she was. She was already exhausted, and it was dark, and they still weren’t sure what had happened to Phil’s sister so she couldn’t help feeling a little creeped out. Melinda shot her a smile.

“Go on ahead. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Bobbi waved Melinda away with a smile that felt just a fraction too strained and quickened her pace. She wasn’t as brave as Mel, and the dark trees made her uneasy.

“Excuse me.” Bobbi stumbled, eyes darting wildly around for the source of the voice. She finally discovered two piercing eyes watching her from the concealment of the woods. Bobbi edged away minutely, never looking away from the figure.

“I can’t help you.” She burst out, a sudden unexpected rush of bravery washing over her. The figure didn’t speak. Instead, it moved onto the path. Bobbi felt like she had been doused in ice cold water. The man, his features only fractionally more distinct now, had blocked her path to her car. Bobbi choked on her breath. The way back to Ward’s house was still clear, but she knew she’d never make it in time. It was too far, and she wasn’t familiar with the route.

“Go away.” She tried, hating how pathetic it sounded. The man watched her sharply. He raised his hand. Bobbi reacted, adrenaline taking over. She dodged to the side, careering into the woods where the figure had come from. Trees snapped at her but she ignored them. She would rather deal with scratches than that Creep. As Bobbi lost her footing again, she felt a gust of wind, and an unexpected wave of dizziness. Bobbi made to cry out, but the words died in her throat. Her vision was fading quickly, but Bobbi could have sworn she saw Phil’s little sister standing above her.

* * *

Bobbi stirred. Her head was pounding, and she could swear she felt every sharp stone digging into her skin. She groaned and shifted, frowning at her surroundings. She had assumed she was still in the forest, and that the man had been scared away or something, but now she realised that was incorrect. Her surroundings might look like the forest, but she wasn’t there anymore. It was too grey, too lifeless, and there were strange plants growing everywhere.

There was a rustling in the trees and Bobbi glanced up, just catching a flash of brown hair darting out of sight. Bobbi took a risk.

“You’re Phil’s sister, right?”

Silence. Bobbi chewed her bottom lip. She supposed it wasn’t really fair to expect her to just answer. Although they were both the best friends of the Fitz siblings, Mel preferred to meet up in town, instead of at her house like Leo did. As such, all of them had only actually been in the same place maybe once or twice.

“My name’s Bobbi. I’m friends with Leo’s sister, Mel. It’s um, Jemma, yeah? I’m not going to hurt you.“

Bobbi pretended not to notice as Jemma inched minutely closer, as if attempting to see if she was a threat.

“Are you here to rescue me?” A tiny voice peeped.

Bobbi glanced down at herself. The outfit she had chosen was torn to shreds, and she was bleeding from several painful cuts. She didn’t feel much like a hero, but that was what Jemma needed. They needed to get out of here, and Bobbi was going to have to step up and be the brave one.

“I really hope so, Jemma. We’ll figure it out, yeah?”

Another step closer.

“The um, the portals, they don’t follow a pattern.”

Bobbi glanced behind her, finally noticing what she assumed to be the portal. It was embedded into one of the trees and etched with strange swirling patterns. The portal seemed to shimmer slightly, but it was obviously closed.

“You’ve been figuring it out, huh?”

Another step. Jemma nodded shyly.

“I followed the Man to see what he was doing. He doesn’t know when the portals open, just where they are.”

Bobbi focused in on a key word. Portals. Multiple.

“There’s more than one?”

“They move. This one won’t be here long.” Jemma answered instantly. She came closer, hovering just a few feet away. “The one I came through is already gone.”

“Explains why no one could find you.” Bobbi muttered. She shook her head. She couldn’t think about that, because then she’d just think about how unlikely anyone was to realise what had happened.

“Is there anyone else here? Just us and the man?”

Jemma hesitated.

“I saw a girl, just for a minute. She was there and she was crying, but then the portal opened again and she was gone.”

Bobbi mulled over that piece of information. It almost sounded like the girl had been able to open the portal, but she could be wrong. Maybe it was just luck.

“She’s safe, I’m sure.”

Jemma’s pale little face wobbled.

“I think he’s going after her. The man, I mean. I think she’s who he’s looking for.”

* * *

_She held the picture gingerly, like it might crumble if she didn’t focus. Fitz leaned close, his breath coming fast and heavy. He was anxious, Skye realised. Scared for his friend._

_“That’s who we were looking for.” Mack explained, eyes creasing sadly. He tapped the girl in the image, dressed like a mad scientist and obviously happy._

_“Did you see her? Do you know where she is?” It was Robbie who had pressed, so certain that she knew the answers. Skye stroked the girl’s face._

_“Maveth,” She spoke finally, the words practically a death sentence, “She’s in Maveth.”_


	3. Chapter Three: The Depths of Fitz's basement

Skye gnawed on her uneven fingernails, willing herself not to flinch as the voices steadily grew louder. They had been arguing for several minutes, overlapping each other in a horrible battle for dominance. Even Fitz had joined in, his voice cracking as his emotions grew. It reminded her of Papa, and that thought made her feel small and insignificant. She curled in on herself, attempting to shelter behind the one person not arguing- Robbie. He hung back, eyes low and heavy, though it was clear that he was listening carefully.

Robbie seemed to suddenly notice her, shaking pathetically behind him, and his eyes darted to her nails, raw and bleeding. For a brief moment his face contorted into a scowl, and Skye shifted further away, afraid, but then it was gone. He moved forwards, yanking on the back of Mack’s shirt with such force that the larger boy cut himself off mid-sentence, glancing back in confusion.

“That’s enough.” Robbie said. His voice was even and soft, as if he were trying not to frighten Skye even further. She watched on with wide eyes.

Yoyo and Fitz faltered, giving Robbie confused looks. When Yoyo opened her mouth to continue her argument, Robbie cut her off.

“I said _enough_.” When no one spoke, he continued, “Look, this argument is stupid, okay? We’re all agreed that we need to rescue Jemma. We’re also in agreement that we’re not old enough or experienced enough to do so.”

Fitz looked as if he might disagree, but at Robbie’s sharp look he stayed silent.

“For various reasons, we don’t trust our respective adults to help with this. But those aren’t our only two options. Like Phil always used to say. There’s always another option. We just have to find it.”

Realisation seemed to dawn on Fitz’s face.

“P-phil.” He uttered, reverence seeping into his tone.

The others glance at each other. One by one, they began to get what Fitz meant. It was Mack who spoke the mutual though aloud.

“We can ask Phil. May too. Didn’t she learn some martial arts, Fitz?”

Fitz nodded eagerly. Mack clapped his hands together loudly, suddenly, and Skye struggled not to react. Robbie seemed to notice anyway, if his glance was anything to go by, and Skye wasn’t sure how she felt about that. No one had ever seemed to notice when she was scared before. It was new and slightly overwhelming.

“It’s a plan then. Me and Fitz can find Phil and May and tell them everything. Yoyo, you see if you can find some weapons we can use. Robbie, you stay with Skye. Radio if she says anything else.”

Robbie looked unconvinced, and Skye didn’t blame him. She hadn’t spoken since she told them where their friend was, nearly an hour ago. Words were cluttering up her throat and beginning to hurt, but she couldn’t get them out. She tried to speak, scrabbling for something to say, but nothing came. Skye suddenly recognised the tendrils of fear that still clawed at her, and she found herself looking at Robbie. She could talk to him, she thought. Robbie was safe.

She waited silently as the others filtered out, bubbling with newfound optimism and excitement. Robbie shot her a sad smile. One that said he understood. She knew then, in the quiet between them, that no words were necessary, but she needed them. She wanted to talk to him. She wanted him to know what she was thinking.

“Thank you.”

Robbie glanced up, briefly, but he didn’t respond. Skye didn’t mind. She knew she was safe now.

* * *

She was watching him again. Robbie focused on the radio, pretending not to notice her dark eyes tracking his every movement. They were alone in Fitz’s basement, though the others were sure to back soon. Preferably with May and Phil in tow. Robbie forced himself not to look over at Skye for the hundredth time.

He wasn’t sure the others had noticed, but earlier, when she’d been frightened, the room had begun shaking. Fitz’s Lego Millennium Falcon was in pieces now, and it was a good thing Fitz hadn’t noticed before he left. He and Jemma had built that together last summer, and they’d been so proud of it. He would be devastated when he saw it.

“You’ll like Phil.” He spoke suddenly. Skye blinked and tilted her head curiously. Robbie shrugged. He hated the silence, and he felt like Skye should be prepared.

“Yeah, he’s nice. He’ll probably try to adopt you though, fair warning.”

Skye giggled and Robbie started. He had actually made her laugh. It was nice.

“Um, he’s Jemma’s older brother, but I guess he’s kind of like her dad. Theirs left ages ago, and their mom isn’t around much.”

Skye’s face creased slightly, and she began to trace a pattern in the dusty floor.

“Papa.”

Apparently that meant something to her then. Robbie leaned forwards, forgetting about the radio.

“You got one?”

Skye was silent for a long time, and Robbie began to think he’d upset her. Just as he was about to apologise, she spoke up again.

“I think he’s a bad man. He killed people.”

Well. That changed things. No wonder she seemed reluctant to return to him- if that was even where she’d come from.

“What about your mom? She bad too?”

Skye’s hand shot up to her neck almost instinctively, and she began to nod before changing her mind and shrugging. Robbie sighed, changing the subject. He didn’t like seeing her so miserable

“I don’t really know if you’ll like May. She’s kind of intense, but she’s badass. If anyone can rescue Jem, it’s her. I know she’ll help. She might pretend to dislike us, but I know she cares. Deep down. Very deep down.”

* * *

Leopold James Fitz had asked Melinda for a lot of strange things over the years. It came with the territory of being a budding inventor. He was always doing strange experiments with Jemma, and Melinda had somewhat learnt to just roll with it. This, however, was definitely the worst.

Melinda stared blankly at her brother.

“You want me to go alone into an alternate dimension to rescue your best friend?”

“Y-you wouldn’t be, uh, alone,” Leo corrected, drumming his fingers against his leg, “Phil’s going.”

Melinda sat up slightly. She couldn’t really be surprised. In all the years she had known Phil, he had never lost that reckless brave streak. Besides, this was his baby sister. Melinda would feel the same way if it was Leo.

“Have you actually asked him?”

Leo didn’t respond, the tapping motion increasing in tempo.

“Leo?”

The tapping stopped.

“Yeah. He already agreed.”

Melinda squinted.

“Alright. If Phil’s going, then I’ll do it.”

Leo beamed.

* * *

Phil hated the picture of Jemma on her missing poster. It was the most recent one they had, taken at Thanksgiving just a few months ago. Mom had chosen it because Jem looked so nice in it, with her hair neatly braided, and her dress freshly ironed. She looked like a stranger.

He had rummaged through the boxes himself, and he knew which one he would have chosen. Jemma was younger in it, with baby fat still clinging to her cheeks, and she was clutching Leo Fitz’s hand so tightly it looked painful. Her first day of middle school. He remembered driving her because mom was busy. Jemma had been so nervous, but then Leo arrived, and all of her worries had washed away.

That had also been the day Jemma had first met Alfonzo Mackenzie. He’d been new to Hawkins and had fit in with ‘Fitzsimmons’ like a missing puzzle piece. Phil had liked Alfonzo at once, even if it was only because of their shared love for cars. Any kid who knew to appreciate a beauty like Lola was a great one in Phil’s book.

That didn’t stop him from declaring Alfonzo insane now.

“There’s no such thing as alternate dimensions.” He sighed, shooting Alfonzo a withering look. The boy squirmed, looking as if he wanted to be anywhere but here.

“Skye told us about it.”

“Skye? The girl you found wandering in the woods, right? Alfonzo, you know absolutely nothing about her. You don’t even know her real name.”

The whole story sounded insane, actually. Especially the part about this strange girl. He had hoped Jemma’s friends were a bit more sensible than this.

Alfonzo took a deep breath.

“May believes us.”

Phil paused. He had learnt a long time ago to always trust Melinda’s judgment. That hadn’t changed, even if it had been years since they last properly talked.

“Mel said she’d do it? Seriously? My Mel?”

Alfonzo nodded firmly. Phil dithered.

“I’d need to meet this girl you found.”

“Duh.”

Phil hummed.

“Alright. We’d better get moving.”

“You’ll do it?”

“Yeah. Let’s go before I change my mind.”

* * *

Leo and Melinda’s basement was not designed for this many people. _Technically_ speaking, they weren’t even allowed to have guests in there. Their mom was okay with Jemma’s presence, but she worried about all the loose and potentially dangerous scrap pieces lying around the place. Phil cautiously cleared a path with his foot, edging into the space.

“Are we sure this is the best place to have a meeting?” He asked. Now that they were all crowded in, he found himself practically pressed against Mel -not that he was complaining especially, but since they hadn’t actually spoken in years, this felt like rushing things a little.

“We don’t want to risk Skye being seen.” Robbie explained. He seemed to have grown oddly protective of their newest member. She was half hidden behind him, and he had shifted so that he could cover her better. Phil wanted to ask, but he knew it wasn’t a good time.

Phil sighed.

“Okay, whatever. How are we doing this?”

He watched as the kids sheepishly glanced at each other, each silently begging the others to speak up and explain.

“Do you _know_ how we’re doing this?”

For a moment, the kids were frozen, but then slowly they began to shake their heads. Mel let out a quiet moan behind him, sending a shiver down his spine. He did his best to ignore it.

“Alright,” Phil ran a hand over his face, “Okay, let’s think about this for a minute. What _exactly_ did Skye tell you?”

“That Jemma is in Maveth.” Alfonzo spoke up, “She pointed to a picture of Jem, and said ‘Maveth. She’s in Maveth.”

Phil felt his blood run cold.

“Maveth… as in the Hebrew word for death?” He asked, voice shaking slightly. The kids paled, shooting looks at one another. Obviously, they hadn’t known that part.

“Why do you say it’s an alternate dimension? It could just be a place in our world.” Mel interjected. Phil tried not to give her an odd look. Hadn’t she already been told all of this? Why was she questioning it now?

The room fell silent.

“It’s cold. Always dark. Vines everywhere.”

Something shifted in the air, as everyone turned to look at Skye. She shrank a little at the attention.

“You’ve been there?” Phil asked. Skye nodded hesitantly.

“What else can you tell us about it?” Phil jumped at Mel’s voice from right behind him. She must have shifted forwards when he was distracted. Skye looked at Robbie. Robbie nodded encouragingly. She took a shaky breath.

“There are um, gates. Or, one gate, I guess. It remakes itself in different locations. They can be in a place for a while without opening, but then they only stay open very briefly. If you’re unlucky enough to be touching it when it opens, you get sucked through.”

“And that’s what happened to Jemma?”

Skye seemed to have gained confidence. She edged forward, so that she was level with Robbie’s shoulder.

“I saw her when I came through. She was, um, she was crying, but I think she was okay. It didn’t get her.”

The room leaned forwards as one, breaths quickening.

“It?” Alfonzo was the one who asked, his words tense and worried.

Skye faltered slightly.

“The monster. Maveth was his prison, but now he’s escaped, and it’s all my fault.”

* * *

_“Director Fury, sir?”_

_Nick Fury barely glanced up from his desk. It was far too early in the day to be dealing with his newest intern. Maria Hill was young and keen, almost painfully so, and insisted on calling him Director, despite it being the completely inaccurate term for his position._

_“I told you not to call me that.” He grumbled. Maria shifted, looking nervous._

_“Sorry, um, sir. It’s just that, um, the search party? For Jemma Simmons? They found something.”_

_Fury looked up._

_“Any details? Who found it?”_

_Maria hastily began to skim-read her notes._

_“Uh, Carol Danvers found it, sir. You know, the ex-pilot who sometimes gives lectures at the school? It’s not much to go on, but they found some fabric inside a tunnel. Um, someone seemed to think it leads to that old lab outside Hawkins? Might be worth checking out.”_

_Fury stood._

_“Hill, grab your coat. We’re going to that lab.”_


	4. Chapter Four: The Search for Maveth

The room was in chaos. After Skye’s reveal, everyone had exploded with questions, but the timid girl had clammed up, hiding behind Robbie like a child far younger than Phil assumed she was. When she began to genuinely cry, Phil took charge, drawing the attention away from her.

“Alright, Stop pestering her. We need to think of a plan. Obviously, rescuing Jemma is our priority. Any ideas about how we could find this gate? Or figure out where it might be?”

There was an enthusiastic yelp from the other corner of the room, and Fitz barrelled forwards, waving his compass. Phil blinked.

“You got something turbo?” Alfonzo asked. Fitz nodded keenly and tapped the compass again.

“We could make a compass to find it? Is that what you’re saying?”

Fitz shook his head, looking slightly frustrated. He opened his mouth to speak but Mel got there first.

“You think the compass can direct us to the gate?”

Her eyes glinted in a way that Phil had missed. That was the look of someone who had been a great sister, who had learnt to read her brother like a book because he couldn’t communicate as easily. She had distanced herself in recent years, allowing Jemma to take the reins, but now Mel was back. He couldn’t be prouder.

Fitz’s eyes shot up to look at her, and he beamed widely, gesturing for her to elaborate.

“Uh,” Melinda looked uncertain, but she began to explain anyway, “If I remember correctly, a compass’ needle is naturally drawn to the Earth’s magnetic North Pole, so you can change the direction of a compass using a magnet… I can’t really explain more than that, Leo, I’m sorry.”

Leo bit his lip and straightened up.

“T-the gate would have so much, so much um, p-power or, or um, a bigger magnetic field so-”

“-It would disrupt the electromagnetic field.” Robbie finished. The others stared at him in surprise.

“What? I hang out with these nerds every day. You learn a thing or two.” He muttered, looking indignant.

Phil shrugged.

“Let’s grab some compasses and go then.”

* * *

It was an anxious group that set off towards the alleged gate. Yoyo had returned with weapons, along with her beloved skateboard, and a supply of snacks, but she was amongst those persuaded to stay behind. She was rather put out by the decision.

“You’re brilliant,” Mack insisted, “But we don’t need everyone to go. Robbie’s only going ‘cos of Skye, and _she’s_ only going because she actually knows about this place…” His voice dropped off a little as he glanced at their newest companion, “Not that she’s willing to share that information.”

“ _You’re_ going.” Yoyo bit back. Mack conceded the point.

“I don’t really want to go, honestly. May and Phil had the final vote, so take it up with them.”

Yoyo eyed the weapons. She’d hammered some sharp nails into a bat, and, upon Mack’s insistence, taped an axe to a rifle. It looked ridiculous, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. Fitz had offered up a tranquilizer gun that he and Jemma had somehow invented.

“It’s um, we call it the Night-night gun.”

He looked so proud of himself that no one had the heart to tell him how dumb that name was.

There was also a long heavy chain that Robbie had gleefully claimed, stating that it suited his ‘aesthetic’, whatever that meant.

Each of the group wore a compass around their neck, and a radio fastened to their belts.

“You- you’ll be safe, right?” Fitz asked suddenly. He was looking at his sister, who had been the most adamant about his staying behind. She nodded sharply, glancing down at the Night-Night gun in her hands.

“We’ll do our very best, Leo.” She answered finally, “But I can’t promise that. We don’t know what’s going to happen.”

She glanced at Phil, who seemed to agree with the sentiment.

“We’ll try to keep you guys posted. Don’t run into any more trouble, yeah?”’

Fitz and Yoyo glanced at each other and nodded in sync.

“Yeah.”

* * *

Skye stuck to Robbie as much as she possibly could. She still wasn’t convinced that the others were trustworthy, but Robbie would keep her safe.

“Hey, are you okay?” He asked suddenly. They were dragging behind the others a little, so Skye felt a little better about talking. She considered, debated lying, and firmly shook her head. Nothing about this was even remotely okay, and she hated that all these people had been dragged into it.

“Robbie? I need to tell you something.”

Robbie glanced at her.

“Um, yeah, okay. What’s up?”

Skye shifted nervously and he reached over, rubbing her hand between his. It had been years since she had been touched in a way that was kind or comforting. She found that she liked it. A lot.

“This is all my fault. I have these… gifts. They um, I’ve had them since I was a baby, but Mama was making me test different vibration frequency’s and I think I opened the portal the first time. I let the monster through.”

Robbie’s breath stuttered.

“Your mom experimented on you?”

Skye faltered, looking a little confused.

“What does that mean?”

“She, um… Look, did she ever make you do things with your, uh, abilities that you didn’t want to? Or ran a bunch of tests to see what your limits were?”

“Yeah. All the time.” Skye answered immediately. Her face fell. “Mama’s bad too?”

Robbie’s heart went out to this girl. She had probably spent her whole life in those conditions, believing that this was just what parents were like. He couldn’t imagine how it must feel to realise your parents were terrible ones. It wasn’t like his uncle treated him much better, but at least he knew that was wrong. At least he’d had decent parents for a while.

“I think so, yeah. I’m sorry.” He responded gently, squeezing her hand slightly. She glanced down at it with a mixture of awe and barely hidden delight. Robbie wanted to punch something. How could they have deprived Skye of so much love, of even the feeling of a gentle touch? Recalling her reaction to the yelling earlier, he felt even worse. There was a good chance her parents had physically and emotionally abused her too. He resisted the urge to wrap her up in his arms and never let go. It was a close thing.

* * *

Fury triple checked his research, heart sinking further as he did so. He had been looking into the lab, assuming it would probably be bad, but this was so much worse than he could have imagined.

“Hey, Hill. You ever heard of Hydra?”

Maria glanced over, frowning slightly.

“Captain America’s Hydra? Big bad dudes from WWII? I’m friends with Phil Coulson. Of _course_ I know about Hydra.”

Fury let out a heavy sigh.

“Yeah, well. I have these reports from the lab. Hydra funds them. As in, Hydra is still around today, and experimenting on little kids, by the look of things.”

Maria’s eyes widened in shock.

“Experimenting on kids? Wait, how do you have those reports, sir?”

He waved a vague hand.

“Don’t worry about it, Hill. We should be more concerned about getting this out into the public and shutting those monsters down for good.”

“Right, sir. Got it. What’s the plan?”

* * *

Fitz shifted in his seat. If he had to watch Yoyo pace up and down one more time, he would probably scream. It was so unfair! All of his other friends had been allowed to go and rescue Jemma. She was _his_ best friend. What if she needed him and he wasn’t there? What if something happened and one of his inventions happened to be the perfect thing they needed?

Yoyo let out an angry grunt and aimed a foot for the overflowing trashcan, knocking it over. The papers went flying and Fitz winced. The lab might look like a mess, but it had a system. B for Blue for Biological and so on. Jemma would be so upset if the system was ruined whilst she was gone.

“C’mon Fitz,” Yoyo called over, “Lets walk to the park. We’re no use moping around here.”

Fitz let his shoulders sag in relief as he hastened to catch up with his friend. Yoyo was always rushing around places, but he didn’t mind too much. She was always good enough to wait for him.

They walked at a hurried pace, trying not to look suspicious. Fitz had stuffed his radio into his rucksack, alongside some snacks, but he just barely resisted the urge to check it every five seconds. He was worried, obviously, but he was smart enough to know that wouldn’t help. It would only draw unwanted attention.

“Excuse me?” The two of them glanced up, noticing a man in a somewhat grubby lab coat walking towards them. Fitz bounced anxiously from foot to foot. He felt uneasy about this guy, though he couldn’t explain why. Neither of them spoke, uncertain how to respond.

“I’m with the government,” The man told them, gesturing to an official looking lanyard on the coat. Fitz squinted. It looked like he’d come from the lab outside of Hawkins. Definitely not government. “We’re looking for a little girl. I was wondering if you’d seen her?”

Fitz stiffened, looking over at Yoyo. They could just say no and run before he asked any further questions, but he might get suspicious at that.

“If you mean Jemma Simmons, we’re her friends. But we haven’t heard anything new. You’d be better off asking the police. We told them everything we know.” Yoyo interjected smoothly. She gave him a pointed look and he stayed quiet.

The man looked irritated.

“I’ll do that then.” He muttered, before wandering away. Fitz shivered.

“Um, I don’t feel, I think-”

Yoyo looked slightly ill.

“Let’s go back to your basement. No creepy government dudes there.” She suggested. Fitz nodded quickly, and they hastened away before the guy could return.

* * *

The five of them stared at the gate.

“It definitely looks like a gateway to an alternate dimension,” Phil offered, “I mean, if you asked me to say what I thought that might look like, this is pretty close.”

“It’s closed.” May pointed out bluntly. She had shifted closer to Phil over the duration of the walk, and Robbie debated whether or not bring it up. He chose not to. They’d probably tease him about Skye in return. Not that anything was happening, obviously, but they’d be sure to tease him anyway. He glanced at Skye, who was studying the gate with a look of dread and trepidation.

She’d told him everything on the way there. About her friend, Raina, who saw the future in her dreams, and had warned Skye about Jemma and Maveth. About Lincoln, who had used his abilities to short-circuit the electricity and allow her to escape. About how she’d found a portal just on the edge of the lab’s perimeter and had tried to rescue Jemma, but she’d been on the wrong side of the fence and the strain was too painful to last.

In return, Robbie had shared stories about his little brother Gabe, and the car accident that had put him in a wheelchair and killed their parents. He’d brought up his uncle (probably a first, actually, since he steered clear of the topic with his friends) and his drunken yelling. To his embarrassment, he had lost several minutes gushing about his beloved Lucy (short for Lucifer, it’s a cool name, shut up) and how he couldn’t wait to ride her once he was old enough. Skye had seemed genuinely interested, and he didn’t even consider the idea that she might have been faking. She wasn’t like that. If she wasn’t interested, she would have said so.

Mack cleared his throat.

“Are we supposed to just wait for it to open? How do we know it hasn’t done that already?”

Skye stepped forward and Robbie stiffened, giving her a look. She gave him one right back, fierce and determined, and so unnecessarily guilty. Running a hand over his face, he relented, giving her a short, encouraging smile. She beamed at him.

“I can open it.”

“And you were going to tell us this when, exactly?” Mack burst out, looking frustrated. May and Phil shot him identical glares and he deflated a little, holding his hands up in surrender, “Right, sorry.”

“Is it safe for you?” May asked, her voice uncharacteristically soft. Robbie realised she must have noticed their silent exchange and flushed. Skye hesitated.

“I can’t hold it for long. You would need to be quick. She’d need to be right there.”

Phil’s face fell.

“But she won’t be. There’s no way she’ll just happen to be where we need her, is there?”

Mack began to rummage through his rucksack, a thoughtful look on his face.

“Yoyo found this old flare gun in her shed. What if we shot that through the gate? And maybe we could toss a radio through too. That way we can communicate and know when she’s in position.” He suggested, holding up the proffered weapon. Phil nodded in agreement.

“That could work. You think you can manage that, Skye?”

Skye nodded seriously.

“It might not work.” Robbie pointed out quietly.

“But it might.” May murmured. She had removed her radio from its holster and was preparing to toss it.

“Yeah,” Robbie breathed, looking towards Skye, “I guess it might.”

* * *

Hive growled as he moved through the trees. This body was fragile and pathetic, too long dead to be much use. People were going to ask questions about the gaping hole in his leg soon, and he couldn’t risk that. Not now. He needed a new host. There was loud boisterous laughter up ahead and Hive shifted into the shadows, watching as three boys stumbled drunkenly towards his hiding place. The laughter came from only two of the boys, with the third looking far more serious and concerned.

“Hey man,” he bit out, “I’m telling you, it’s not funny. She could be in serious trouble.”

“Relax Hunter,” His friend sneered, waving a dismissive hand, “Your pathetic little girlfriend probably just ran away when she saw your ugly face.”

Hive leaned forwards, intrigued. Perhaps they were discussing the girl from the previous night? She had escaped before he could lay a hand on her, to his frustration. Hunter glared.

“C’mon Idaho. Back me up here. Something’s up, right? I’m not insane.”

Idaho shifted uncomfortably.

“I mean, Hunter. You do tend to exaggerate things. I bet we’ll see her at school tomorrow.” He mumbled. Hunter groaned, throwing his arms up.

“Right, I’m leaving. You coming, Idaho, or are you sticking with this idiot again?”

“Uh, my mom, you know, she’s all worried about that kid going missing. I don’t want to worry her further...” He began to explain.

The third boy looked angry.

“You two are wimps. Go on and play with your barbie dolls then, for all I care.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Hunter grimaced, “I’ll see you around Grant. C’mon Idaho.”

Hive watched as the two boys swerved in a different direction, heading presumably towards the town. Grant looked uncertain for a moment, before striding away from them.

“Hey!” Hive called after him. The boy turned part way, giving him a disdainful once over.

“What’s a hobo like you doing speaking to me? Do you know who my father is?”

Hive narrowed his eyes. He had planned on being a little more discreet, but the kid had insulted him to his face. Before Grant could react, Hive drew the gun hidden in his pocket, and fired four shots into his chest. The kid’s eyes glossed over, and he fell back, obviously dead. Salivating hungrily, Hive departed his host and slid into the new one.

Oh. Hive raised an eyebrow. He had no regrets about this victim. Grant Ward was already a monster.

* * *

_Hunter knocked several times on the Fitz household’s door, suddenly doubting whether or not he had gotten the right address. Just as he was about to leave, the door creaked open, revealing a doe-eyed boy and a sharp faced girl. Hunter blinked. Right, Melinda’s kid brother, and presumably one of his friends._

_“Is uh, Mel there? It’s just, Bobbi’s missing, and I figured she might know something.”_

_The kids stiffened._

_“Bob-Bobbi’s missing?”_

_The girl opened the door wider._

_“You’d better come in. We’ve got a lot to discuss.”_


	5. Chapter Five: The Children of Hawkins Lab

Mack shifted impatiently. They had already wasted several minutes waiting for Skye to do whatever it was she claimed she could do, and he was frustrated, to say the least. Skye held out a hand in front of her, squinting as if she was trying to see something that wasn’t there.

“What’s she doing?” he hissed to Robbie. The other boy shrugged vaguely, looking as if he wanted nothing more than to stop Skye from doing anything at all. Mack wasn’t sure when his friend had become so protective of Skye, but it was interesting to see.

“I’m tuning.” The boys jumped as Skye spoke up, tilting her head at them. She looked oddly relaxed about what she was doing, which both reassured and worried Mack. Shouldn’t she be concerned? Anxious, maybe? By her own volition, this was dangerous for her.

“Like an instrument?” Phil asked, looking curious. He seemed to be the most interested in Skye's gifts and figuring out how they worked. Skye lifted her head.

“Instrument?” She repeated, genuine confusion filling her eyes.

“Never mind,” Phil quickly covered, sighing sadly, “We’ll show you later.”

There were a lot of things they’d have to show her later, and Mack suddenly felt awful. He had no idea why, exactly, Skye knew so little about the real world, but it was hardly going to be a good thing. Who was he to judge her and become frustrated when she didn’t work at his pace? She was doing this to help them find a complete stranger to her. He should be grateful, at the very least.

Finally, Skye gave an assertive nod, and began to increase the vibrations, causing the ground to shake. Mack yelped in surprise and stumbled, grabbing hold of a tree to keep his balance. Around him, the others quickly did the same, staring at Skye in shock. Other than Robbie, it was obvious that none of them had quite believed Skye when she said she could do it, but it was impossible to deny now.

As Mack watched, the portal seemed to liquify, collapsing down on itself, then returning as a pool of shimmering liquid. He could see the effects of Skye’s vibrations on the liquid, sending hundreds of tiny ripples across it. May reacted quickly, grabbing the radio and tossing it through as gently as she could, before shooting the flare. She nodded to Skye as if to tell her to stop, but the girl didn’t react. A look if horror crossed May’s face, and she dived forward unsteadily.

“Skye! Stop! You’re hurting yourself, stop!” She yelled, trying to shake Skye from her stupor. Mack looked closely, realising Skye’s eyes were glazed over, and she didn’t seem to be able to hear them.

“I don’t think she can stop.” He pointed out, glancing at Robbie, who had gone very pale and was attempting to move closer. The vibrations were strongest close to Skye, though, and even May, who was uncannily good at balancing, seemed to be having a hard time staying upright. She waved him away with a pointed look.

“Skye, listen to me,” May began, keeping her voice as even and unfazed as she could, “Take a deep breath, okay? In and out. Copy my breathing, that’s it.”

Mack wasn’t convinced that Skye was even aware of May talking, but it seemed to do something, as Skye suddenly stumbled back, paling dramatically. The vibrations seemed to pulse out and die away, to Mack’s relief. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could have stayed upright.

“Skye?” Phil spoke up, sounding concerned, “Are you alright?”

Skye didn’t respond, wavering on the spot as if she was about to collapse.

“Your nose is bleeding.” Robbie murmured, sounding horrified.

Dazed, Skye reached up, as if realising where she was for the first time. Her forehead creased in confusion, and, without warning, she toppled forward. Phil shifted to catch her before she could hit the ground.

“Okay, okay, it’s alright Skye. We’ve got you.” He hummed gently, helping her to the ground. Mack watched as May and Phil wiped Skye’s nose and brushed her hair out of her face, whispering soft comforts to her as they got her readjusted to everything again.

* * *

Maria Hill fidgeted in her seat, glancing anxiously over at Fury. They had driven up in the daytime, scouring the site for any weaknesses in the fencing, but now it was nearly midnight. The harsh floodlights loomed ominously in the distance, and Maria shuddered. This place had been creepy enough in the daylight, never mind at night. Fury let out a heavy sigh.

“What happened to that friend of yours?” He asked suddenly. Maria blinked.

“Trip? He’ll be here sir. I think he had to wait for his ma to fall asleep first.”

Maria wasn’t sure what had possessed her to tell Trip. They weren’t the closest of friends- she had only met him recently, through Phil- but he had already proven himself to be reliable and trustworthy. She would have asked Phil too, but he had too much to think about with Jemma. She couldn’t do that to him.

“Antoine Triplett?” Fury asked. At Maria’s nod, he looked almost impressed, “His father was one of the howling commandos.” He observed.

“Yes, sir.” Maria mumbled, trying not to smirk. Phil was always going on about it, especially when Trip showed him an old chest full of his dad’s tools. They hadn’t been able to shut him up for months. There was a rap on the car window, and Maria jumped, relaxing when she saw that it was only Trip.

“Hey girl. Did I miss the action?” He teased easily. Fury coughed pointedly.

“You’re late, Triplett. Let’s get moving.”

Maria was too anxious to focus on the details, sticking close to Fury as they moved. Fury had noticed a blind spot on the cameras earlier, and they headed there now, keeping to the shadowy trees as much as possible. When they reached the bit of fence, Maria faltered.

“Sir, how are we supposed to-” Fury tapped the fence lightly, and a piece of the panel fell away, leaving a decent gap. Maria blinked. “Huh.”

Trip chuckled beside her and moved past, following Fury through the fence.

“How did he do that?” Maria hissed incredulously to Trip.

“One of my dad’s tools,” He answered quietly, grinning at the look on her face, “He borrowed it earlier.”

Maria shook her head and hurried to keep up. She should have known zoning out on Phil and Trip’s geek fests would come back to bite her at some point.

* * *

The lab was cleaner than Trip had expected. He peered at the stark white walls as they hurried past, ducking in and out of corridors to avoid guards.

“Stop or I’ll shoot.” Trip froze, hand shooting to the shotgun in his holster. He’d grabbed it from his dad’s chest, hoping it might help him feel safer, but he barely knew how to shoot a regular gun, never mind this one. The girl in front of them glared fiercely, the light catching on her gun. It didn’t look very powerful, but Trip knew it could do a lot of damage.

Fury took a cautious step forward, holding his hands up.

“We’re here to help. What’s your name?”

Now that Trip looked closer at the girl, he realised she had to be one of the patients there. She wore an off-white dress that hung strangely from her figure, and there were fresh cuts and bruises on her arms and legs. Her hair was a fierce red, but it looked as though it had gone unbrushed for months, perhaps even years. She caught him staring and reached up to tuck a lock away, seemingly self-conscious.

“You’re not supposed to be here.” She pointed out, voice trembling slightly.

Fury made a show of placing his gun on the ground, though Trip was certain he was carrying more.

“We know what goes on here, with the experiments. Someone escaped, didn’t they? We found a scrap of fabric in one of the tunnels leading from here.”

The girl paused, something flickering in her eyes.

“Daisy? Is she alright?”

“We’re still looking, but I’m sure she’s fine. We want to help her, to make sure she’s okay. You too if you’ll let us.” Fury assured her. He barely reacted to the new piece of information about the child who had escaped, and Trip forced himself to bury his interest too. They needed to focus on this girl, not the one who had escaped. The girl seemed to relent.

“I’m Alisha. Are you going to help us escape?”

Maria had been silent so far, but she jumped in, smiling kindly at Alisha.

“We’re going to do our best. Do you know where the others are?”

Alisha considered the question.

“Lincoln and Robin are still in their cells. Jiaying only lets me out because she thinks I’m useful to her.”

She gestured slightly and began to lead them down a corridor. Trip scrambled over his feet to keep up as she rushed away.

* * *

Lincoln barely glanced up when the door swung open. It hurt to move, and the swelling over his left eye made it difficult to see.

“Linc, come on. We’re going.” Lincoln tried to squint up at whoever was in the doorway, but it was difficult. He saw a flash of red hair and relaxed slightly.

“Alisha? What’s happening?” Hands grabbed at him without warning, and he yelped, shoving them away. He fell painfully back onto his cot, and bit back a moan. It had been worth all the injuries to see Daisy freed, but that didn’t mean he was okay with it. It had still hurt horribly.

“Sorry,” Someone spoke up, “Will you let us touch you? We’re trying to get you out of here, but we need to help you move.”

With great difficulty, Lincoln pushed himself upright.

“I guess so. Are we getting Robin too? They took her to the panic room for the night.”

He tried not to flinch as the strangers helped him up as gently as they could. One supported him so he could limp to the door and the other moved on ahead, clearing a path. Alisha appeared on his good side, giving him a look of concern.

“It’s going to be okay, Lincoln.” She seemed to speak to the other people, as they moved slowly down the corridor, “The panic room is on the far side of the lab. It would be safer for you to get Lincoln to safety, and I’ll get Robin.”

“I’ll come with you,” A man spoke up, “Fury and Maria can get Lincoln out of here, but you shouldn’t go alone. Two’s better than one.”

Lincoln snorted in spite of himself.

“She’s never alone,” He muttered, “There’s five of her.”

“Lincoln!” Alisha hissed, sounding nervous, “They don’t know about that!”

Lincoln froze. He had assumed that if these people were helping them, they probably knew the whole situation, but obviously not.

“Uh,” He began, struggling to think of what to say.

“Later,” A gruff man’s voice interrupted. He was closer to Lincoln than the other man, and Lincoln jumped slightly, aggravating his injuries.

“Are you coming or not?” Alisha interrupted, and Lincoln listened as two sets of feet hurried away. He gulped, praying Alisha had been right to trust these people.

* * *

_Jemma was cold. She was trying not to be, and it was easier now she had Bobbi to snuggle up against, but there was no sun where they were. No matter how much Jemma wished she was warm, that wasn’t going to happen. Bobbi had been telling her stories, but now her voice trailed off, as if she was deep In thought. Jemma shifted slightly._

_“Bobbi?”_

_“Hm?” Bobbi peered down, blinking sleepily. “You’re awake again?”_

_Jemma chose not to mention that she hadn’t fallen asleep at all, lifting a shoulder in silent response._

_“Are we going to get home?” She asked quietly. Bobbi was silent for a long time, and Jemma started to wonder if she’d fallen asleep. She opened her mouth to ask, but Bobbi spoke up._

_“I think so, Jemma.”_

_Jemma sat up, frowning. Bobbi sounded so tired, like she didn’t even believe what she was saying anymore._

_“Are you lying to me?”_

_“What?” Bobbi looked surprised, “Absolutely not. I said we’d figure it out, yeah? You’re so smart. Together, we’re sure to work out how to escape.”_

_“Yes,” Jemma relented, her shoulders slumping, “But, I’m hungry, and we’re both exhausted. How are we supposed to survive here when-”_

_A flash of colour shot into the sky ahead of them, and they sat up, staring at it._

_“That was a flare.” Bobbi breathed, “Someone knows we’re here.”_

_They broke into a run._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been ages since I last updated this! I've just recently started University and it's been stressful figuring everything out in the current environment.


	6. Chapter Six: The Way Home

Trip’s stomach twisted as they reached the ‘panic’ room, and he felt bile creeping up his throat. He hung back, giving Alisha an incredulous look.

“They keep kids in here?”

The walls were mouldy and rotten, smelling like death and decay. Trip could have sworn there was some blood mixed in there too, though he didn’t dare inspect more closely. Alisha sighed, chewing at her lip.

“It was the only room that would contain Daisy, but they brought all of us here at some point. This is where Lori and Shane…” Alisha’s face creased and she shook her head, “I don’t understand why they brought Robin here. She’s not even a threat. She’s only eight.”

Trip felt something tugging at his leg and he jumped, peering into the gloom. Alisha noticed and smiled.

“Hello Robin. We’ve come to get you out.”

Trip had always been good with little kids. He liked them, they liked him. Robin was just the definition of creepy though. She stared at him in silence, hand still gripping his trouser leg. Robin was dressed in similar clothing to Alisha, but her hair had been pulled into two messy braids. Trip wondered who had done those. Robin tilted her head and held out a sculpture of a wooden bird.

“Really?” Alisha looked surprised, and Trip opened his mouth to ask but she waved him away, “We need to go. I’m going to take you to Daisy, okay? Remember Daisy?”

“Home first.” Robin whispered, and Trip shivered. Her voice sounded so empty, like she wasn’t entirely present. He was relieved when Alisha started moving. The whole atmosphere of the room, and Robin’s piercing stare gave him the creeps.

They reached an intersection that seemed vaguely familiar to Trip, and Alisha paused.

“I need to get something first. If you keep going down that corridor, you’ll reach the exit.”

Trip frowned.

“Wait, but we need to stick-” Trip began as Alisha sprinted down another corridor, “Together.” He deflated, turning back to Robin. “Come on then. Let’s find our way out of here.”

He kept to a slow pace, allowing Robin to keep up, occasionally glancing behind him to look for Alisha. His young companion seemed strangely indifferent to what was happening and hadn’t spoken since the panic room.

“Give me your pain.” Trip looked up, realising there was another girl a little way down the corridor. She looked older than Robin, but definitely only a preteen. Robin took a step back and Trip hastened to follow. If even Robin was freaked out by this girl, then he definitely should be.

“There doesn’t happen to be another way out of this place that avoids her, does there?” Trip asked helplessly. Robin gave him a blank stare and he sighed. “Didn’t think so.”

“There’s so much pain. Give me your hand.”

Several guards began to file in behind the girl. Their eyes were deadened, and Trip gulped. He might have been able to dodge one creepy preteen girl, but those guards had guns, and the brute strength to take him down easily. He wished he’d gone with the others instead. He glanced down at Robin.

“Any ideas?” Robin began to smile.

“Daisy.”

A hand grabbed the back of Trip’s shirt and he spun around, relieved to see it was just Alisha, or, one of her. He shook his head and did a double take. There were still five identical girls stood before him. This must have been what Lincoln meant, though it still didn’t explain it. The Alisha who had grabbed him huffed.

“Let’s go. This way.”

Trip barely had time to register three of the other Alisha’s breaking into a fight with the guards before he was pulled around the corner.

* * *

Maria watched as Fury cleaned Lincoln’s cuts, resisting the urge to bite her nails. They were all miraculously unharmed, other than Lincoln’s previous injuries, though that was mostly down to Alisha’s doubles. Maria glanced cautiously at the other girl. There was only one of her now, calmly brushing her hair as if nothing had happened. Trip bit into a sandwich and grimaced.

“I don’t know about anyone else, but I’d really like to know what happened.” He spoke up. To Maria’s surprise, it was Lincoln who answered.

“All of us in that lab are Inhumans. I don’t remember the exact science, but we have an extra part to our DNA which, when activated, gives each of us abilities. Does that answer your question?”

“And gives me about a thousand more.” Trip grumbled, shaking his head.

“That can wait.” The room fell silent as all of the teens turned to Fury. “I have two more crucial ones. How many more children are still at that lab, and what can you tell us about your friend, Daisy?”

Alisha hesitated, sighing slightly.

“We would be the last of those children, sir. There were eight of us in total. Lori and Shane didn’t survive the experiments, and Cal murdered Raina because she helped Daisy escape. Katya is still there but, well. She was too young when she received her abilities, and they turned her insane. I have no idea how she escaped, but she’s a danger to herself and to others. She’s contained for the time being, and it’s best that it stays that way.”

Fury didn’t look happy about that revelation, but he kept quiet, giving them expectant looks. Alisha faltered, seemingly uncertain on what else to say. Maria shifted, hating the tension in the room.

“We had to.” Lincoln burst out, “We had to get Daisy out of there. Raina said it was important. So, I- I shorted out the electricity long enough for her to escape, and Raina got her to the fence.” He softened his voice a little, words tinged with anger and hurt, “She’s their daughter, you know that? Their own flesh and blood and they treated her like a lab rat. The things they made her do… It would have killed her sooner or later. We had to get her out.”

“I understand that,” Fury appeased him, voice disturbingly kind, “But I need more information than that. What does she look like? What are her abilities? How old is she? How long has she had those abilities? Anything that might help us track her down.”

Alisha and Lincoln glanced at each other, obviously thinking about what to say.

“I think she’s twelve,” Alisha offered, “Maybe thirteen. Long brown hair. Jiaying wanted to shave our heads, to make maintenance easier, but Cal insisted we kept it. He thought that would be too… inhumane.”

“She’s had her abilities since she was a baby. Vibrational manipulation. And-and she gets nosebleeds sometimes if she hits certain frequencies. Horrible migraines too. But she always wanted to look after the rest of us, even though Katya and Robin were the only ones younger than her. She didn’t care.” Lincoln jumped in.

He looked a little desperate, but Maria was beginning to see why. Daisy was the glue that held the group together.

“Daisy is the only one who can get through to Robin.”

Robin seemed to perk up at the sound of her name, tapping her wooden bird against the floor in a rhythmic pattern.

“Daisy?” She asked, peering around, as if Daisy might appear at any moment. Alisha looked sorry.

“No, Robin. Daisy isn’t here.”

Robin slumped immediately, her eyes welling up, and Alisha chewed her lip anxiously.

“Do you have any paper, and pens? She’ll be happier once she’s drawing.”

* * *

“Is that little girl alright?” Phil nearly jumped out of his skin as someone spoke up right beside him. He whirled around, careful not to jolt Skye too much. They had managed to shift her so that she was leaning against a tree trunk, and her nosebleed had reduced to almost nothing, which was definitely progress. Seeing who it was, Phil relaxed slightly.

“Grant. Yeah, she’s fine. It’s just a nosebleed.”

Skye whimpered beside him, and Phil winced internally. She really didn’t sound good, and he knew this probably looked suspicious. Something flashed across Grant’s face, and then it was gone again. He turned to Melinda instead, eyebrow raised.

“I didn’t know you were hanging out with him again, Fitz.”

Melinda barely reacted, though Phil, who knew her all too well, noted a slight twitch in her face. She was annoyed. Phil couldn’t help but feel rather pleased at that revelation.

“I didn’t know you were in a position to judge me, Ward.” She bit back coolly. May shifted slightly, giving Skye a clear view of Ward and Skye recoiled, letting out a frightened cry as she attempted to back away from Grant. Phil blinked in shock.

“Skye?”

“No! No no no no no! Please don’t!”

Phil glanced helplessly up at Robbie and Alfonzo, but the younger boys seemed equally lost.

“What is it, Skye?” Robbie murmured, crouching down to her level. Skye shook her head, still sobbing hysterically.

“Please talk to us, Skye. We want to help. What’s wrong?” Phil begged, gently rubbing a hand up and down her back. Shakily, Skye gestured towards Grant.

“Ward? Skye, he’s a, well, he’s not exactly a friend, but-”

“No! It’s not him anymore. He killed him!”

Phil suddenly noticed that Ward was beginning to creep closer and he gave him a hard glare. He might not think Ward was especially a threat, but Skye clearly did, and Ward’s approach did not help matters in the slightest.

“What do you mean?” Alfonzo asked. He had adjusted his stance slightly, as if prepared to lash out at any moment, and Phil felt a wave of gratefulness.

“The monster!” Skye sobbed, “It’s him. He feels wrong. All wrong, like he’s dead, but, but…not! He wants me, please! Please I want to go! Please!”

“Okay, alright.” Phil blinked rapidly, struggling to think of what to do.

“Phil,” Melinda hissed, looking worried, “Let’s go! Now!”

“Right, yeah.” Phil adjusted his arms around Skye, lifting her into a bridal hold, and he began to run. He didn’t look back, only praying that they could make it to safety in time.

* * *

_Robin’s pen flew across the paper, as she drew. She needed to warn them. It wasn’t safe. She needed to, needed to, needed to-_

_“What’s she drawing?”_

_Robin’s hand stilled momentarily, before she continued on. She was so nearly done._

_“Can I see?”_

_Nicholas Fury. No no no no no no. Not yet. It wasn’t done. She wasn’t finished. So close, so close, so close-_

_“Robin?”_

_Robin sank back against the sofa base, allowing the pen to clatter to the floor. Done. Daisy would be so happy. She did it. She warned them._

_“Hey, Maria? Doesn’t that figure look an awful lot like Melinda blowing up the school?”_

_Well, she had tried at least._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realised as I was writing this that basically no two characters refer to another person by the same name! That said, I apologise if I accidentally called someone the 'wrong' name at some point. I think May gets the most errors, since my instinct is to just have everyone call her May, but in terms of the story, only the little kids are actually supposed to (Hopefully I caught and removed most of them, but still) :)


	7. Chapter Seven: The Secrets Children Keep

Leo was having a very bad day. It really wasn’t fair that he had to miss out on all the action, just because Mellie had said so. Not only that, but now he was stuck here, awkwardly staring at Lance Hunter across the living room.

Leo didn’t know Hunter, not really. His name had come up in conversation with Mellie only a few times, usually in conjunction with Bobbi, and always, _always_ with a tone of frustration. It didn’t help that Hunter was apparently friends with Grant Ward, who took great pleasure in picking on Leo and his friends, whenever he knew he could get away with it. As such, Leo had kind of assumed that Hunter would be a bit of a bully too.

Hunter shifted, pinching his nose, and shooting Leo and Elena expectant looks.

“Are we going to talk, or what?”

Leo glanced anxiously at Elena. He hated talking to people, especially when he didn’t know them that well. Elena seemed to understand, sitting up and putting on her fiercest glare.

“You talk,” She snapped, her voice only wobbling a little, “And we ask the questions. Not you.”

Hunter raised an eyebrow.

“Well, since you two midgets are basically foetuses, I’m not exactly inclined to take orders from you.”

Leo opened his mouth, annoyed at Hunter’s unhelpful attitude, but the door slammed open, causing him to jump.

“Put her down on the sofa,” Mellie ordered, and Leo turned to see Phil carrying Skye. Her face was smudged with dried blood and tears, and she was shivering horribly.

“What happened?” Elena asked, jumping up and rushing over.

Mack, in a shaky voice, began to quietly explain the situation to them, but Leo couldn’t stop looking at Skye. He was certain that the look in her eyes would keep him awake for days. They were so broken, like she had forgotten what it meant to live.

“Why is _he_ here?” Mellie asked suddenly. She was staring at Hunter, a look of resignation on her face. Hunter cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable as every set of eyes, except Skye’s, turned to stare at him.

“Bobbi is missing. I thought it might be connected with Jemma’s disappearance, and I figured you’d know something since you’re her best friend.”

Mellie paled, lowering herself into a chair. She ran a hand through her tangled hair.

“I didn’t even… when did she vanish? I should have checked. I didn’t-”

Phil moved over, gently rubbing her back.

“We’ll find her, Mel,” He soothed gently, “With any luck, she and Jemma have found each other and they’re keeping each other safe.”

* * *

Trip dragged his heels as he stumbled blearily through the school halls. He had been working on autopilot all morning, and since everything had been so chaotic, Trip hadn’t even managed to down some coffee. He was exhausted. He slammed open his locker, reaching for some books that might, depending on how organised past Trip had been, actually be the ones he needed for class today.

“Trip? You okay man? You look terrible.” Trip blinked vaguely in the direction of the voice, finally registering that Phil had been trying to get his attention. He raised an eyebrow. Even with how tired Trip was, it was impossible to miss the fresh bags under Phil’s eyes, and the crumpled nature of his shirt. If he wasn’t mistaken, it was the same one Phil had worn yesterday.

“You don’t look fantastic yourself.” He grumbled defensively, leaning his head against the lockers. He relished the cool metal biting at his skin. Phil waved a hand.

“I know. I didn’t sleep last night. I was-” He cut himself off, eyes widening at the apparent near slip. Trip squinted.

“You’re hiding something from me.” He muttered, not bothering to keep the hurt from his tone. He and Phil were close. He had thought they could always tell each other things, but apparently not (The part of Trip’s brain that was marginally more awake nagged him about hypocrisy, but he ignored that)

“What! No? I stayed up to re-watch old captain America movies. That’s all.”

“You have nine different tells, Phil.” Trip jumped halfway out of his skin, spinning around to stare at Melinda May. She wasn’t looking at him though, too focused on Phil to pay him any attention.

“That’s not true.”

Phil’s eyes flickered to the side and Melinda snorted. They were silent for a moment, staring at each other with goofy, doe-eyed expressions that made Trip feel like he was intruding on their moment. He shifted uncomfortably. Obviously, _something_ had happened. Only a couple of days ago, Phil had been lamenting to Trip about Melinda not speaking to him anymore, and now they were making eyes at each other like they were still 15? Yeah, something was definitely up.

“Okay, what’s going on? Did you find Jemma?”

Trip hadn’t heard anything of the sort, and he was fairly sure he would have done, but he was so tired he could easily have missed it. Melinda and Phil shared a look, and Trip huffed. He really didn’t have the energy to deal with them this early in the morning.

“Not here.” Melinda spoke up, grabbing his arm and leading him down the corridor. Trip stumbled as she dragged him across the parking lot, Phil trailing anxiously behind. She stopped at Phil’s car, raising an eyebrow at the cheesy Captain America bumper stickers. A couple of middle school kids nearby gave them a curious look, but one glare from Melinda sent them scuttling away.

“Fitz and his friends found this little girl in the woods. She said she knows where Jemma is, and she’s helping us.” Phil explained hastily. Trip could only stare. He didn’t believe in coincidences, and he certainly didn’t think it likely that there were _three_ little girls currently wandering around in the woods.

“Did she say her name was Daisy?”

They both shook their heads looking confused. It was Phil who answered.

“She told us it was Skye, but I think Robbie said something about it being a nickname. I’m not sure. She doesn’t talk much. Why?”

Trip scratched the back of his neck, deep in thought. It was a risk, certainly, to tell them about the other kids, but his gut told him it was the right move.

“You know the lab outside of town? Mr Fury and Maria were investigating it. They thought it was connected to Jemma’s disappearance I think. Anyway, the place is terrible. They were experimenting on little kids. We managed to get them out, but they were keen to find their friend. A little girl named Daisy who they had already helped to escape. Sounds like you managed to find her though.”

“How come you were helping?” Phil asked, looking confused.

“ _That’s_ the question you want to ask, Phil?” Melinda interjected. She glanced apologetically at Trip, “I think you’re right about Skye being Daisy. We need a plan of action, though. She’s kind of skittish. I don’t know that she’d take well to meeting them out in the open.”

Trip thought for a moment.

“I have an idea.”

* * *

_Hive slipped out from between the trees, peering over at the cabin. He could see several people inside and let out a low growl. They were all so close together. It would be nearly impossible to lure one away without being noticed. He had tried to slip back into the lab, but security was too tight. These brats would be perfect for his plans if he could only get one alone. Perhaps the girl? Five slaves for the price of one really was an excellent deal._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long, and that this chapter was much shorter than usual! Part of it is due to being busy, but I also managed to lose my plan so had to essentially rewrite that from memory. With any luck I'll be able to write some more on this soon.


End file.
